Daughter of the Sword by Steven Bein

Daughter of the Sword by Steven Bein is a great read. Happily it's also the first in a series called the Fated Blades. This is a magical realism novel set in modern-day Japan with historical segments set in various eras of that country. 

The main story follows Oshiro Mariko, a driven policewoman in the prestigious Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department and her involvement with a small group of ancient swords that bend destiny around them. Mariko's story is alternated with short stories from different eras of Japanese history demonstrating the ways that each of the swords works.

The author is a professor of Asian history and philosophy and it seriously shows through. There are hints and insights into Japanese culture and history (particularly of the samurai class) all the way through, including elements on the role of women as samurai which I'd never heard of before. For instance, anyone familiar with RPGs or other medieval Japanese books has probably heard of naginata (the European equivalent would be a glaive) which is a long rod with a huge curving blade on it (in-line with the rod, not like a scythe). What I'd never heard of is that it was the weapon of the female samurai and in Japan it is still considered a woman's weapon. The text is peppered with details like that.

October 2013

The historical stories are also really interesting, given the author's background, although the main reason for them being there is to illuminate the nature of each of the swords. The swords are as varied in their nature and abilities as they are physically different.

The main story is basically a police procedural and Mariko's struggle to catch the villain of the piece is at least as interesting as her struggle with the extreme sexism of modern Japan.

I thoroughly recommend and it I'm really looking forward to the next one.

Currently Reading: I just finished Emperor Mollusk versus The Sinister Brain by A. Lee Martinez (not quite as good as his previous one Chasing the Moon, but that's not faint praise as Chasing the Moon was one of my favorite reads of 2011) and I'm about to start Blood Trade by Faith Hunter.